Worked on my Moms cousins farm in Saskatchewan & a lumber mill in Vancouver. "And then there'd still be all these notes sticking out and we'd sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets.". He has a net worth of $2 million and is living quite comfortably. "She wasn't planned," Errol said of his youngest child. Elon and Kimbal allegedly sold 2 emeralds: one worth $800 and another worth $1200. On Feb. 23, 2018, Business Insider SA published a story with the headline, "'We had so much money we couldn't even close our safe': Elon Musk's Dad tells BI about the family's insanely casual attitude to wealth." Like his son, the wealthy business owner who was once rumored to be the co-owner of a Zambian emerald mine has also been mired in controversy. However, any reconciliation was apparently short-lived. The way Errol tells it, that all started with an inconvenient religious holiday. So I became a half owner of the mine," he told the outlet. And we spent three weeks making our rent-controlled apartment livable in Toronto, Maye tweeted. One thing most of us can agree on is that there is a more nuanced conversation to be had about how Musk specifically and South Africas white population in general, even those who didnt own mines benefitted from apartheid. He attended Queens University in Canada. But I've been in physical danger before. mark_able_jones_. From impregnating his stepdaughter to the emerald mine, here's what we know about Elon Musk's South African father Errol Musk. Meanwhile, Musk's defenders often say that the mogul has denied this story, though that is not precisely true either. "A Teenage Elon Musk Once Casually Sold His Father's Emeralds to Tiffany & Co. On July 28, 2014, Forbes.com published an interview with Elon Musk, which was conducted by Jim Clash. I can't see any reason not to. It was authored by Jeremy Arnold with The Save Journalism Committee. Errol Musk is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. Elon was a witness to this, bullets flying around, Cattrell further claimed. Elon Musk addressed the recent social storm when claims related his familys emerald mines in apartheid-South Africa resurfaced online. Rumor is Errol Musk owned an emerald mine. Vance, Ashlee. Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post/Getty Images; Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, Elon Musk and Amber Heard's Relationship Timeline, Elon Musk Claims He Had 'No Choice' But to Make Mass Layoffs at Twitter, Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44B Following Legal Battle with Company, Fires Top Execs: Reports, Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey Apologizes Following Layoffs at the Company After Elon Musk's Takeover, Twitter to Lay Off Several Employees Over Email amid Elon Musk Takeover: Reports, Employees Suing Twitter In Response to Elon Musk's Plans for Mass Layoffs, Elon Musk Goes to Heidi Klum's Halloween Party as Stars Vow to Leave Twitter Over Controversy, When Will Donald Trump Return to Twitter? [6][7] In a 2018 interview with Business Insider, Musk boasted that as a result of the emerald mine "we had so much money we couldn't even close our safe. ", Five days later on Feb. 28, Business Insider SA published a second article with the headline, "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine in Zambia here's the fascinating story of how they came to own it.". Elon Musk addressed the recent social storm when claims related his family's emerald mines in apartheid-South Africa resurfaced online. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Some of his most vocal detractors have promoted the idea that Musk, like Trump, began his career backed by the deep pockets of dear old dad. He has also fathered two children, a son and a daughter, with his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout. I felt sorry for my father, because my mother had all three kids. Meet. [20] At the time of their daughter's birth, according to The Times, Musk was 72 and Jana Bezuidenhout was 30 years old. A teenage Elon Musk once casually sold his father's - Businessinsider It was also shared on Reddit.com. "I'm naturally good at engineering that's because I inherited it from my father," he told Rolling Stone. Copyright Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. In 2019, a Twitter user claimed that Musk's father Errol owned an emerald mine. EM: Company death not succeeding with the company causes me a lot more stress than physical danger. All Rights Reserved. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.. He's having a tantrum, like a spoilt child. The netizen claimed that the Business Insider article didnt show the real extent of the Musk family profiting from apartheid. Errol employed a cutter in Johannesburg and sold the stones wherever his travels as an engineer or family holidays took him. "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." Vance wrote, "For what it's worth, my reporting, based on conversations with hundreds of people, confirms Musk's story. Former Tesla employee Marcus Vaughn, who worked in the Fremont, California, factory in 2017, alleged that the companys production floor was a hotbed for racist behavior. Supervisors regularly used the N word around Black workers and he said he was fired after complaining to human resources about workplace harassment. After the end of the article, a note was added that read, "BI SA reached out to Elon for confirmation of the tale, but he did not respond. To add to the truth, we went to Boston Chicken in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving because we couldnt afford a turkey. Address: Riverbank House, 1 Putney Bridge Approach, London, SW6 4TJ. Musk, Elon. The rumor of the "apartheid emerald mine" received a spike in shares around the time that Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter in late 2022. In 1972, Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in his native South Africa. "Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. This article is actually accurate: https://t.co/eVpCX9V1NB. The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, took to. At the conference, Elon talked to some professors who told Errol, This boy needs to get his hands on one of these computers. Note: The reference to Zip2 concerned Elon's "first enterprise" in 1995. The tweet was shared as a screenshot on Imgur.com, which showed the image had been viewed more than 300,000 times. We did not receive a response from Forbes PR. With his new riches, Errol also bought half of an emerald mine. Below, we have laid out all of the data that we found, including examples of the rumor, as well as stories from newspaper archives and blogs. Curiously, Errol has said nothing more about the controversial emerald mine story in the years since, even in recent interviews like his discussion with Forbes last year. "'His Family Stole an Emerald Mine.'" In an interview with Rolling Stone, during which he reportedly cried, Elon called his father "a terrible human being" and "evil. Musk responded about the time when the photo was clicked. Arnold paraphrased his answers, publishing that he said "it was a handshake deal with a Panamanian man that resulted in something like 110 emeralds up front and then a semi-regular trickle of rough stones over a few years following," and that "there was never formal ownership.". And thats when Musk's father was offered half an emerald mine in return for half of his earnings. The gist of the claim was that Elon's father, Errol Musk, who reports say has been estranged from his son for some time, owned an emerald mine during apartheid in South Africa, and that it was . ERROL IS A RETIRED SOUTH AFRICAN ENGINEER. The user tweeted: If this is half of an article is a small glimpse into the apartheid mines his [family-owned] haha even [T]he Onion tells more truthful stories than CNN and Fox. And, on at least one occasion, his now famous son also took his hand at dealing in the gems, with peculiar results. But by many accounts, the issues at the Tesla factory go beyond the need for a thick skin, New York Times reported. Errol talked about Elons fascination with computers when they first came out in the mid-80s, during an interview on radio station 702 in Johannesburg, as reported by Forbes. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. With a net worth of $37 billion, Musk hopes to revolutionize transportation on Earth and in space, bringing fully-electric vehicles to the mass market through his auto manufacturing company, Tesla. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he once owned half of an emerald mine in Zambia, which he claimed to have purchased on a whim. [18][19] Musk described the first child as unplanned. Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering.. "Exploring the otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk", "How To Raise A Billionaire: An Interview With Elon Musk's Father, Errol Musk", "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? Note: Reporting from Esquire.com said that Elon moved from South Africa to Canada in 1988. Jana was 4 years old when Errol married her mother, Heide Bezuidenhout though he claims that he didn't consider Jana his stepdaughter, as she primarily grew up separate from the Musks. We were very wealthy. He also added, "'Self-made billionaires' are a myth." "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story." He will plan evil, Elon tearfully told Rolling Stone in 2017. They still feel a bit creepy about it., They still dont like it, Errol admitted in a new interview withthe Sun: They still feel a bit creepy about it because shes their sister. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. But that's more or less where the good fortune ended. In a February 2018 interview with Business Insider South Africa, Musk's father said he did own half share in an emerald mine in Zambia. [11] The family lived in Pretoria,[10][12] where Maye worked as a dietician and a model. SASSA: Here are your March 2023 grant payment dates. "We went to . "I said, 'Oh, all right.' The gist of the claim was that Elon's father, Errol Musk, who reports say has been estranged from his son for some time, owned an emerald mine during apartheid in South Africa, and that it. Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. "There was just stacks of money and he paid me out, 80,000, it was a huge amount of money." Once again, he said that he paid his own way through college, ending with around $100,000 in student debt, and added thathe started his first company with no funding and one computer he built himself. Moneycontrol.com, 21 Sept. 2022, https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/elon-musk-hits-out-at-us-professor-over-emerald-mine-claims-idiot-and-liar-9208281.html. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. "What's very difficult for others is easy for me. Worked on my Moms cousins farm in Saskatchewan & a lumber mill in Vancouver. Hull, Dana, and Patrick May. Its unclear how old Elon was at the time and whether he was even present is in dispute. Elon was said to be particularly furious that his father had impregnated his stepsister. Zip2's purpose was to provide "a searchable business directory that could be described as an internet version of the yellow pages telephone directory with maps included," according to Britannica.com. His tweet is now viral with over 9.1 million views. Here is the incredible true story of Errol Musk and the striking similarities he shares with his powerful son. At 17, Musk decided to leave home, heading first to Canada and then the U.S. for university. Recently, Elon Musk had to set the record straight on a narrative spun over three years ago about his family owning an emerald mine in South Africa. Musk, Errol. I said, Oh, all right. Errol Musk Net Worth: Inside the Fortune of Elon Musk's Dad Meanwhile, Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering. In 2017, he also told Rolling Stone that Errol was the youngest person to get a professional engineers qualification in South Africa., Im naturally good at engineering thats because I inherited it from my father, the worlds richest man stated. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Swallows players. A common story about Musk on social media is that his father owned part of an emerald mine, providing a bedrock of wealth that buoyed Elon up to his current level of success. I couldn't even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. Instead, Musk has sought to dispel the general belief that he comes from wealth. Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? Bridges to Italy tweeted, Yeah, hes not that bright, just like the guy who started this thread. He didnt own an emerald mine, and I worked my way through college, ending up [around] $100,000 in student debt, Elon tweeted. Fact Check: Did Elon Musk Inherit Apartheid Money From His - Moguldom The 76-year-old is most notable for. Other companies started by Musk include Neuralink, which is working on developing implantable brainmachine interfaces. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. A Twitter user claimed in December 2019 that Elon Musk's privileged upbringing included his father, Errol Musk, who owned an emerald mine [and] who could bankroll his education. However, the Tesla CEO begged to differ. Who is Errol Musk? What we know about Elon's dad - New York Post Ask him." Errol Musk, an engineer, owned a small percentage of an emerald mine and had a couple of good years before the mine went bust and wiped out his investment. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. [17] Later in life, after splitting from Heide Bezuidenhout, he fathered two children with her daughter (his former step-daughter) Jana Bezuidenhout; a son born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2019. luis carruthers @orthereaboot tweeted, When the same pattern of racist behavior happens at all $tsla locations, its the company thats racist, and the fish rots from @elonmusks head.. Inside the fabulous Dior couture world of 'Mrs. I tried threats, rewards, intellectual arguments, emotional arguments, everything to try to change my father for the better, and he no way, it just got worse., Errol subsequently told the publication in an email: Ive been accused of being a Gay, a Misogynist, a Paedophile, a Traitor, a Rat, a St (quite often), a Bastard (by many women whose attentions I did not return) and much more. In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. "There's no evidence whatsoever of an 'emerald mine,'" the last part of the tweet read. "My [former] wife doesn't speak to me, even when we're together, she won't speak to me, so we haven't spoken to one other for 37 years.